Beads for Wildlife

Stunning traditional beadwork made by women in remote Kenyan communities.

Beads for Wildlife

Northern Kenya is as wild as wild gets and a long way from Taronga’s two Zoos. However, this region is facing its worst drought in six decades, leaving people, livestock and wildlife desperately competing for survival.

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) is a community-led conservation initiative whose members depend largely on livestock for their livelihoods. The NRT is working to develop alternative incomes for these communities and an obvious choice is the stunning beadwork traditionally made and worn by the region’s women.

The beads can tell you a woman’s marital status, her age and the number of children she has. The striking colours of the beads also tell a story; green represents the grass and reflects growth, white reflects the purity and health of milk and red brings strength like the life-blood of animals.

The Northern Rangelands Trust trading has established a micro-loan credit system to enable the women to set up small businesses. They are working to train women in business skills and product development as well as providing access to adult literacy classes and health services.

Projects don’t get much better than this!

Zoos Victoria, Zoos South Australia and Taronga are now working together to support the The Northern Rangelands Trust and the Beads for Wildlife campaign. We are making it easy for you to help. By simply buying a Beads for Wildlife souvenir next time you visit one of our Zoos, you can help provide relief for wildlife and communities half a world away. Plus you get to take home a beautiful piece of jewellery or one of the many eye-catching hand-made gifts.